


Vacation

by 852_Prospect_Archivist



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Alternate Universes, M/M, Series: Sentinel in Love series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 02:55:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/793239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/852_Prospect_Archivist/pseuds/852_Prospect_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darryl's vacation starts off bad</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vacation

## Vacation

by ET

Disclaimers: Sentinel and Guide are not mine. The whole concept belongs to Pet Fly Productions and Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended, even though, technically, it is. This is just for fun. Certainly not for profit. 

Warnings: Mild violence to bother delicate sensibilities. No bears, Sentinels or teenagers were killed during the making of this story. 

Summary: Things just don't go Darryl's way. 

Notes: This is an A/U series. As such... Morgan is my own character and I have a history for him that I've touched on in this series. Maybe someday I'll actually get to write it. Please don't use him without my permission. You'll regret it. He has a tendency to take over your mind. But what else can you expect from a telepath? 

* * *

**SENTINEL IN LOVE**  
 **VACATION**  
by: ET 

Darryl Banks knew something was going on. He just didn't know what. 

Darryl had been looking forward to spending the summer with his friends. Unfortunately, his mother's job dashed that hope. She had come home and informed him that she was going to be traveling the country for awhile. Darryl would have to either come with her or go stay with his father for the summer. The teenager elected to stay with his father. At least he had a few friends there. But when he'd gotten to his father's house, Simon had told him that, due to a previous agreement, they were going to spend a week with someone named Morgan Chandler at a cabin in the forest. A week that was beginning the next day. Darryl hated fishing and wasn't too fond of the forest, either. Especially after Peru. The only good thing about this unexpected news was finding out that Jim Ellison and his partner, Blair Sandburg, were also going to be there. At least there would be someone else he knew besides his father. 

But ever since they'd gotten there, Darryl's father had been acting really weird. Sometimes, the elder Banks would be standing next to Jim when Darryl came into the room and Darryl would have sworn they had been talking -- arguing, maybe. It wasn't something that he'd heard, it was just something about the way the two men looked. Kids noticed things about adults. Especially kids from broken homes. Fishing wasn't calming Darryl's father like it usually did. Darryl was beginning to get worried, himself. Which was why he was out in the woods following a deer trail while Simon, Jim and Blair were at the river fishing. 

He froze when he heard a sound from up ahead. Cautiously, he parted the thick bushes and saw the back of a man squatting on the ground. A thick golden tail hung from his head, swinging over one shoulder as he examined something on the ground. He was dressed in a dark green cotton tee shirt, jeans and heavy boots. Darryl, himself, was dressed similarly, though all in black. 

"Enjoying yourself, Darryl?" the man asked, without turning. 

"How did you know it was me, Mr. Chandler?" Darryl asked, giving up his hiding place. He wondered what Jim Ellison's friend was looking at. 

The person who owned the cabin turned out to actually be a good friend of Jim and Blair's. Even his father seemed to like him, although Simon acted a little funny around the man. But, to everyone's surprise, Darryl quickly came to like the man as well. It helped that, like Blair Sandburg, Morgan Chandler knew all kinds of strange stuff and was perfectly willing to talk about it if asked. 

"I listen," he replied mysteriously. He stood, dusting off his hands on his jeans. "And I thought I told you to call me Morgan? You're more likely to..." 

"...to get an answer that way," Darryl finished for him, cheekily. He grinned as Morgan playfully swatted at him, missing by a foot or more. Darryl didn't pursue his question. He'd just met the man two days ago, but he'd already learned that if Morgan Chandler hadn't answered your question at first, he wasn't likely to. "What were you looking at?" 

"Have you ever seen bear tracks?" Morgan asked, instead of answering. 

"No, sir," Darryl replied. He didn't know why, but something about this man brought out his respectful side. Darryl just knew better than to mouth off to him. At the same time, he knew he could tease Morgan Chandler like he couldn't his father or Jim. 

Morgan knelt back down and pointed out the track half hidden under a bush. "It's either a female or a young male. I haven't seen it, nor have I seen any sign of cubs, so I can't be certain which one it is yet." 

Darryl looked at the broad, squarish pug with it's distinguishing claw marks etched into the dirt. "You know a lot about tracking, don't you?" 

"When the choice is learn tracking and hunting or go hungry, you learn quickly and well," was his answer. 

"How long have you known Jim and Blair and my father?" Darryl asked, deciding to try to find out what was wrong with his father from outside the force. 

"Several months, now," Morgan told him. Darryl watched him slip silently past the bushes without moving them as they followed the bear's tracks. He wondered if he'd ever learn how to do that. "Why?" 

"I was wondering if you knew what was bothering my dad?" Darryl asked, watching Morgan closely for any hint he could get. 

"He hasn't said anything to me," Morgan told him, looking back over his shoulder. 

"Has Jim said anything?" 

"Darryl," Morgan said, coming to a stop and facing the teenager. "If you are so concerned for your father, why don't you ask him what's wrong?" 

"Because he won't tell me anything," Darryl burst out. He kicked at a fallen tree limb in frustration. "He treats me like a kid." 

"Maybe he's trying to find a way to tell you. Give him some time. Listen to what he says when he doesn't talk as well as when he does," Morgan gently suggested. When Darryl continued to sulk, he sighed. "I'll talk to him, okay? I'll tell him how concerned you are." 

Brightening, Darryl said, "Thanks, man." 

"My pleasure, Darryl," was the droll response. 

* * *

_TS_

* * *

They reached the lightening blasted tree near where Jim lay sprawled face down in the mud, half in, half out of the river. Gently, Simon and Blair pulled him out of the water, checking him for injuries. There was already a livid bruise on his forehead from where he'd hit a rock in his fall down the muddy bank. 

Blair knelt in the mud by his partner's head, checking for a pulse at his throat before bending to put an ear to his chest. "Oh, God, he's not breathing!" 

"Darryl, call 911," Simon yelled up to his son. 

"I am, Dad," Darryl called out, his voice cracking. 

"Don't do this, Jim. Don't do this, man," Blair practically sobbed his plea as Simon worked to clear Jim's airways before beginning artificial respiration. 

Trading off with Blair, Simon looked over at his son. Darryl stood at the top of the bank, Morgan on his knees at Darryl's feet. They both looked decidedly shell shocked. Darryl had one hand protectively on Morgan's shoulder as he talked to someone on the cell phone. His own hands tightly clenched, the blond leaned slightly against the teenager's legs. Simon was quite proud of his son. Darryl didn't understand Morgan's reaction, didn't know that Jim and Morgan were lovers, but his son was doing his best to comfort Jim's friend. 

"Simon?" Blair said, questioningly as he stopped breathing for Jim. 

Simon met his curious gaze before beginning artificial respiration once again. "I'm going to tell him, just as soon as I can, about Jim and Morgan." 

Blair gave him a bittersweet smile. "That's good. Jim -- Jim wants that." 

"Come on, Ellison," Simon ordered. "Simon says, BREATHE!" 

Blair pulled his hair away from his face as he watched the Captain work on the fallen Sentinel. When Simon stopped again, Jim suddenly coughed, choking on the water in his lungs. Simon quickly turned him onto his side so he could expel the water. 

A radiant smile split the grad student's face. "Yes!" he yelled, triumphant. "He's breathing on his own!" 

"ALL RIGHT!" Darryl shouted, jubilantly, as he Morgan staggered to his feet. 

Morgan pulled the teenager into a tight hug as he met Simon's eyes over Darryl's dark head. "Thank you," he said. 

* * *

_TS_

* * *

Darryl was sitting in one of those hard plastic chairs most waiting rooms have when he saw his father and Blair walking down the hall. The teenager leaped to his feet and hurried to meet them. 

"How's Jim?" was the first thing out of his mouth. 

"He'll be fine, Darryl." Simon reassured his son. "He might have a slight concussion. The doctors want to keep him in over night, just in case." 

"It's all my fault," Darryl suddenly burst out, nearly in tears. "Jim nearly drowned because of me." 

"No, son. It was an accident," Simon quickly protested, pulling him into a hug. "You didn't know there were bears out there." 

"Yes, I did, Dad," Darryl insisted, face buried in his father's chest, hands gripping the back of Simon's shirt. "Morgan showed me the tracks yesterday. When you were fishing." 

"But you didn't set out to find them," Blair pointed out. 

"No, but I panicked when that cub squalled," Darryl told him. He reluctantly pulled loose from his father's comforting embrace. "Then I heard the bear roar and she came out of the trees..." 

"You were lucky you weren't attacked and killed," Blair said as Darryl shuddered. 

"Only because of Morgan. He came outta nowhere and jumped between me and the bear. They played this weird kinda tag for a few minutes. I don't know how he kept from getting mauled. Then Jim came up and grabbed the cub. I thought he was crazy." 

"Crazy like a fox," Simon sighed, wearily. "He knew the bear's attention would be on her cub. He drew her away by using the cub's frightened squalling." 

"It was pure accident that the riverbank gave way on him like it did, Darryl," Blair said. "And then Jim hit his head..." 

"He nearly drowned. All because I wanted to walk in the woods," Darryl said, dismally, hanging his head. 

"It was not your fault." That soft insistence was not in his father's or Blair's voice. Darryl looked up to see Morgan nearby. The blond walked up to him and placed both hands on Darryl's shoulders. "Jim doesna want you takin' the blame for this. Please, Darryl. 'Tis difficult enough getting him to rest while he's here. If he thinks ye're blaming yerself... " 

Darryl laughed a little. "Yeah. He's like my dad that way." But he still wouldn't meet Morgan's eyes. Morgan placed a finger under the teenager's chin and raised his head. 

"Darryl, this is why I was out there yesterday," Morgan told him, solemnly. "I wanted to know if the bear was female or a young male. Remember?" 

Darryl thought about what Morgan had told him the day before. "Yeah. I guess." 

"As for your finding the cub... well that was just bad karma, as Sandburg would say." The joke, feeble as it was, broke the tension. Afterwards, Simon suggested, "Let's go get some dinner." 

"I'm going to stay here, Simon," Morgan told him. 

"Why am I not surprised," Simon sighed, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "All right. But call me if anything happens." 

"Nothing's going to happen, Simon. Jim will be fine," Blair reassured him, grabbing Simon's arm. Darryl grabbed the other and they began pulling the older man to the door. "Hey, since it was your idea, you're paying. Right?" 

"Who said we were eating at a restaurant, Sandburg?" Simon demanded, allowing himself to be pulled along. 

"C'mon, Dad," Darryl wheedled. Behind him he could see Morgan standing in the hallway smiling at them. 

* * *

_TS_

* * *

When Simon woke up the next morning, he found Darryl already awake sitting at the small table, hunched over a bowl of instant oatmeal. He was pleased to find that Darryl had made a pot of coffee. 

"Sleep okay?" Simon asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee. 

"I guess," Darryl shrugged, listlessly dragging the spoon around the remains of his oatmeal. 

Simon watched him while he drank some of his coffee. "Last night, I should' ve told you how proud I was of you. You kept your head in an emergency. There aren't a lot of adults that could do that." 

"Thanks." 

Simon frowned. Surely his son wasn't still blaming himself for Jim's accident. "Darryl, everything will be fine." 

"Will it?" Darryl asked, raising his head to look at his father with troubled eyes. "Something's wrong, Dad. Are you in some kinda trouble? At work, maybe?" 

Simon sighed. So that was it. Jim was right -- as usual. It seemed the detective knew Simon's son better than Simon did. "No, Darryl. I'm fine. I'm just... What do you think about Morgan?" 

Confused, Darryl looked at his father. "He's okay, I guess. He sure knows a lot." 

Simon laughed. "Yeah, he does, at that. You remember how nervous I was when I told you about sex?" 

Darryl laughed at the memory. "Yeah, I remember. But you did better than a lot of my friends parents." 

"Thanks, I think." Simon gave Darryl a sardonic smile. "Jim's been asking me to tell you something. He and Blair both think you're mature enough to handle it." 

Darryl wasn't sure if he should be flattered or not. "Yeah? Handle what?" 

"Knowing about Jim and Morgan." 

"What about them?" Darryl asked, perplexed. "Are they gonna start living together? Come out, maybe?" 

Simon looked at his son in shock. "You knew?" 

"No duh," Darryl drawled. "You only have to look at them to know how they feel about each other. Is that what this is all about? C'mon, Dad. I thought it was something serious. Like you were up on charges or something." 

Simon had the decency to look abashed. "I'm sorry, Darryl. I didn't know you were thinking things like that." 

"It's okay," Darryl waved his hand, magnanimously. "You just have to remember that I AM nearly 16, now, Dad." 

"Don't remind me," Simon groaned, theatrically. "Can I bribe you to stay a kid a while longer?" 

"Can I have a car?" 

"Not if you're a kid," Simon quickly countered. 

"Daaad," Darryl protested, rolling his eyes. 

_Finis_

* * *

End Vacation. 


End file.
